I love Japanese gun designs and have been wanting to get a type 38 to actually shoot. Anyone have experiance as to how well these guns shoot? I also see that I would have to hand load wich is no problem. My goal is to find one at the gunshow in a couple weeks and clean it up to shoot. Anything I should look out for? I also see that they sell replacement stocks online and will probably buy one of those and save the original.
Anyone shoot an Arisaka type 38?
- Thread starter ryland
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Also what kinds of prices should I expect to pay for one in good condition?
I have a 99:
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1436983&page=1
Still have not shot it yet. There are some links in the above thread that may serve some use to you regarding ID, manufacturer, etc.
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1436983&page=1
Still have not shot it yet. There are some links in the above thread that may serve some use to you regarding ID, manufacturer, etc.
Originally Posted By: ryland
Also what kinds of prices should I expect to pay for one in good condition?
Depends a lot on overall condition and crest condition.
Anywhere from $150 to $700, on average.
Also what kinds of prices should I expect to pay for one in good condition?
Depends a lot on overall condition and crest condition.
Anywhere from $150 to $700, on average.
Most of these are beat to heck. However, they are a strong action based on Mauser designs. Unless it has a mum on it, I would not pay more than 150 for a shooter, and 250 for one in otherwise good condition.
I do recommend getting the head space checked on it before shooting it.
if you get a Type 99 make sure to have it looked over as many out there are the "last ditch" rifles that are not safe to shoot because they have either bad materials or fitment(headspace) that is so poor you risk a ruptured case.
I do recommend getting the head space checked on it before shooting it.
if you get a Type 99 make sure to have it looked over as many out there are the "last ditch" rifles that are not safe to shoot because they have either bad materials or fitment(headspace) that is so poor you risk a ruptured case.
When I was a kid, several of Dad's friends hunted with war-surplus rifles. As I recall, Mr. M got his deer every year with a bone-stock K98 Mauser, bought in the 1950s dirt cheap. Another family had a pair of "lightly sporterized" Britsh SMLE .303s, and good deer rifles they were too. A couple of '03 Springfields were in the mix- one stock & one sporterized- and at least one Japanese Arisaka in the 7.7mm version. The Arisaka looked very crude, but like all the others, worked well enough.
The Arisaka stars in my favorite "Doh!" gun story. I read this long ago in G&A/ST/Outdoor Life/somewhere like that. **Background- after the war, through the 1960's, the 7.7mm versions were often rechambered to fire .30/06 ammo. Thirty caliber(.308") bullets and the Arisaka bore(~.310-.311, iirc) were an imperfect fit. Still, it was commonly done.
So: a guy walks into a gunsmith shop wih his rechambered-to-.30/06 Arisaka rifle, bolt frozen shut. Said he fired 4 or 5 shots of factory ammo with fierce recoil, harder to open the bolt as he went along, & finally it locked up tight. The gunsmith finally resorted to a vise, wooden blocks, and a heavy mallet & got the bolt open. The separated .30/06 case head fell out, and it was only when he began to extract the forward section of the broken case that he figured out what went wrong. The rechambering job was OK except for one thing- the rifle was one of the- wait for it- *drum roll*- 6.5 mm versions!
For 4 or 5 shots, that action held together as it forced a .308" bullet down to & through a ~.264" bore. And the gunsmith reported that once it was cleared, he could find nothing wrong with the badly-abused Arisaka action. Still, he recommended that the entire gun be scrapped.
So, if you do get an Arisaka- and it's been rechambered to .30/06- be *sure* it's the 7.7mm version, & not the 6.5mm.
The Arisaka stars in my favorite "Doh!" gun story. I read this long ago in G&A/ST/Outdoor Life/somewhere like that. **Background- after the war, through the 1960's, the 7.7mm versions were often rechambered to fire .30/06 ammo. Thirty caliber(.308") bullets and the Arisaka bore(~.310-.311, iirc) were an imperfect fit. Still, it was commonly done.
So: a guy walks into a gunsmith shop wih his rechambered-to-.30/06 Arisaka rifle, bolt frozen shut. Said he fired 4 or 5 shots of factory ammo with fierce recoil, harder to open the bolt as he went along, & finally it locked up tight. The gunsmith finally resorted to a vise, wooden blocks, and a heavy mallet & got the bolt open. The separated .30/06 case head fell out, and it was only when he began to extract the forward section of the broken case that he figured out what went wrong. The rechambering job was OK except for one thing- the rifle was one of the- wait for it- *drum roll*- 6.5 mm versions!
For 4 or 5 shots, that action held together as it forced a .308" bullet down to & through a ~.264" bore. And the gunsmith reported that once it was cleared, he could find nothing wrong with the badly-abused Arisaka action. Still, he recommended that the entire gun be scrapped.
So, if you do get an Arisaka- and it's been rechambered to .30/06- be *sure* it's the 7.7mm version, & not the 6.5mm.
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